It’s an honor to be back in Des Moines working for the people of Iowa.

We have so much to be thankful for living in our great state. 

 

Iowa continues to be a leader for the entire nation. 

 

Respecting the rights and liberties of the people, maintaining sensible health policies. Refusing to comply with criminal medical mandates.

 

Protecting freedom has been a tremendous battle over this past year.

 

For the most part, Iowans have survived the battle and live to fight another day. Whereas in many other states, medical freedom has quickly become a politically-incorrect relic of a distant past.

 

The best way to express our gratitude for all of Iowa’s blessings, is a sober and honest reflection of the real and urgent challenges facing our community.

 

I urge my fellow Iowans: do not underestimate the chaos that is likely to result from the dreadful and illegitimate leadership of the Biden administration -- or more specifically, his multi-national corporate globalist handlers.

 

No longer are the big 'potential problems' of yesterday awaiting on the horizon...

 

After years of ignorance, apathy, and neglect, the atrophy and decay of our  political systems, is coming into clear focus.

We must come together as a community and honestly address the issues at hand:

 

• Rampant inflation with no end in sight

 

• Deteriorating mental and emotional health of both youth and adults

 

• Parents concerned about their children’s education being slandered as terrorists by the Department of Justice

 

• Criminal bureaucrats cashing in on new technology to prevent a virus likely created at a lab they funded.

 

• Diminishing faith in our shared values, system of government, and national heritage -- bitter polarization among community and family.

If these last couple years have taught us anything...

 

We must be thankful for every day we are given, taking nothing for granted.

 

No matter what tomorrow brings, let us use this opportunity to grow closer to God and our fellow Iowans today.

 

2022 Iowa Legislative Survey

 

I need your help!

 

Politics is a team sport, and everyone needs to do their part to contribute to effective and honest government.

 

Please fill out your 2022 Iowa Legislative Survey ASAP so I know where you stand on the urgent issues affecting Iowans.

 

Completing your survey shouldn't take more than a few minutes, but it will make my job a lot easier for the next few months.

 

The issues facing the Iowa Legislature are many, and while most problems can be addressed by a straight forward reading of the US and Iowa Constitution, some cannot.

 

So it is critically important you register opinion and help me guide our collaborative approach on these important topics, please don't delay in completing your 2022 Iowa Legislative Survey.

 

***trigger warning, the 2022 Iowa Legislative Survey contains questions of a controversial and politically sensitive nature. Please do not attempt to complete a survey unless you feel you have a reasonable proficiency in civics and government.

(Less then 25% of high school graduates are considered proficient in civics)

 

Thank you for partnering with me to do the very best we can for the State of Iowa.

 

Sincerely Yours -- At Your Service,

 

Rep. Jeff Shipley

State Representative

Iowa House District 82

 

Upcoming events:

Fairfield Chamber of Commerce:

Legislative Forum

January 29th, 7:30am

Fairfield Arts and Convention Center

topics on the agenda:

·         Employment/Labor Shortage

·         Tax Reform Bill

·         Removing Income Tax

·         One-Time Funding Requests

·         Questions in Regard to the Navigator Pipeline

Link to Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVXXZIznJqs

 

Peace & Prosperity Anniversary Brunch

January 30th, 12:30pm

Phoenix Rising Hall

207 W. Burlington Ave

 

 

The bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee and will now move to the House Floor for further consideration.

 

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MORE NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL:

Cutting Taxes for Every Iowan

 by Speaker Pat Grassley

This week, Iowa House Republicans introduced our own version of a plan to cut taxes for all Iowans. Our plan is very similar to the Governor's plan, with just a couple of changes. Our plan, just like the Governor's, calls for lowering taxes for all Iowans so everyone pays a flat tax rate of 4%. Also, it makes retirement income exempt for all Iowans and creates a new income exemption option for retired farmers.

However, it's different from the Governor's plan in two ways. Our plan does not include a tax cut for corporations, keeping the focus on individual Iowans who need relief most right now.  Also, it includes an outline on how to use the Taxpayer Relief Fund to make the tax cut sustainable and return the money in that fund to the taxpayer, as promised.

Ultimately, Iowa House Republicans want a tax plan that is simple, responsible and cuts taxes for all Iowans. The Biden Economy is hurting Iowa families and we need to deliver relief now. Please consider responding to this email with your thoughts on the tax plans being proposed this session or with any questions you may have. 

Making Retirement Income Tax Free

A big part of our tax plan is making all retirement income in Iowa tax-free. This piece is in the Iowa House’s tax plan, the Senate Republicans’ tax plan, and the Governor’s tax plan. There is clearly enthusiasm among Republicans in the Capitol to get this done for the people of Iowa. 

How retirement income is taxed in each state can have a big impact on where folks choose to retire and make their primary state of residence. Many Iowans move or change their primary residence to states like Florida, Texas or even Illinois because those states don't tax retirement income.

If we can keep those folks in Iowa once they retire, that means they continue to contribute to the economy here in Iowa and to not-for-profits and to their local community.

Both the Governor and the Iowa House Republicans' tax plans also address the retirement income for farmers.  Our finances as farmers are often set up quite different from someone who's worked in an office throughout their career.  So, our retirement often looks a bit different too.  We're working hard to make sure Iowa farmers keep more of their hard-earned retirement money.

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House Human Resources Passes 

Important Child Care and Mental Health Bills

 

This week, the House Human Resources Committee passed significant bills on expanding access to child care and mental health in Iowa. House Republicans have focused on these issues for the last few years and continue to prioritize finding additional solutions to help Iowans get back to work and access necessary health care services. 

 

The bipartisan mental health bills passed unanimously and will now be considered by the House 

 

Adding Psychiatrists: HSB532 is legislation to fund 12 psychiatry residents per year. Iowa ranks 44th in the country in psychiatrists per capita. This bill will help increase the number of psychiatrists trained in Iowa and prioritizes Iowans in the application process. 

Mental Health Provider Loan Forgiveness: HSB537 adds $1.5 million per year to expand loan forgiveness opportunities to continue to retain and attract mental health providers to Iowa. 

Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit: HSB530 is a bill to require the Department of Human Services to establish a Medicaid rate for those needing a higher level of inpatient psychiatric care. When a rate is established, more hospitals will be able to serve the most difficult patients. 

The child care bills come from the Governor’s Child Care Task Force recommendations, which came from a variety of stakeholders statewide. These bills will improve access to child care for working families and provide flexibilities to parents and providers that reduce regulations and align Iowa’s child care regulations with the majority of other states. 

Child Care Ratios: HSB511 allows for child care providers to add an addition 2-year old child and two 3-year old children to their center if they are willing. This bill aligns Iowa’s ratios with the vast majority of states, increase slots statewide, and help centers provide additional pay to their employees. 

Parental Choice: HSB510 passed with bipartisan votes and allows parents to pay the difference between Child Care Assistance rates and rates charged to families who do not receive assistance. The task force report states that by not allowing this flexibility, there “can be a disincentive for child care providers to accept children receiving CCA.”

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Understanding Cybersecurity

 

This week the Information Technology Committee heard a presentation from Dave Nelson, an expert in the cybersecurity field on the current landscape of cybersecurity threats. The committee learned about risk and how it is a combination of an asset (something that has value to you or others), vulnerability (something that could be exploited to cause harm), and a threat actor (entity that is capable and willing to exploit a vulnerability. 

 

The committee also learned about the three core aspects of cybersecurity which are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These three aspects do not neatly overlap with each other and can change by situation and even the time of the situation. In addition, there is a significant and notable difference between an incident and a breach. An incident is an activity which compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of system or data. While a breach is an unauthorized disclosure, access, or use of system or data. 

 

The biggest vulnerability for cyber-attacks are people. Some sectors are doing a better job than others at educating their employees and holding them accountable, but ultimately behavioral changes are needed to resist hostile intrusions that can cost in excess of one million dollars to mitigate the situation.

 

In addition, the committee learned what steps are important to mitigate cybersecurity threats through proactive planning and the types of plans that should be in place to activate when an incident or breach occurs. The information learned this week will be valuable as the committee continues to draft and consider many pieces of legislation relating to cybersecurity.

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In Complicated Court Decision, Mask Mandates in School Are Out…But May Return in Some Situations

 

Tuesday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on the continuing lawsuit language in HF 847 which prohibited schools from implementing mask mandates on students, staff or visitors. The ruling adds more confusing elements to an already complicated legal process.

 

What does HF 847 do?

HF 847contained language which prohibits a school from requiring masks be worn by students, employees, or visitors, with extremely limited exceptions. When the bill was passed, school districts were required to allow parents to decide if a mask was appropriate for their child or not. 

 

What prompted the lawsuit?

Parents of children who have various medical conditions filed the lawsuit claiming HF 847 violated the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act (RA), and other federal laws. These parents argued that their children were placed in grave danger because of their medical conditions and could not safely attend school if a school did not require masks. 

 

How has the court ruled on this lawsuit?

The lawsuit was filed in September of 2021 and in October the 8th Circuit issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the bill from being enforced. This allowed schools to impose their own mask mandates to students, staff and visitors.  A very small percentage of school districts chose to require masks. Only 24 out of 357 districts required masks to be worn at this time. 

 

What happened after the first injunction? 

The case was appealed by the State of Iowa and hearings were held in December by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. During the appeal process the injunction has remained in place allowing schools to enforce  mask mandates.

 

What was the Court of Appeals ruling?

On Tuesday, the court issued a complicated 24-page ruling. In a 2-1 decision, the judges determined that the original injunction was too broad since it applied to all schools in all situations and was not tailored to protect children who were medically fragile and at risk from COVID. Therefore, the injunction was lifted making any current mask mandates unenforceable.  However, masks were also deemed to be a reasonable accommodation and school boards will be permitted to draft mask policies focused on protecting students who face significant health risks from COVID-19. Throughout the ruling, the judges continually reinforced that masks are no different than any other accommodation required under the ADA and compared the requirement that they are worn to having a wheelchair ramp in public places.  

 

Will kids be required to wear masks again?
The lower court has been directed to reissue the injunction in line with the standards set by the appellate court. This means the mask mandate cannot be universal but must be tailored to meet the needs of students. The Attorney General’s office has said they intent to appeal the ruling but will also not enforce HF 847 at this time. This leaves schools in a gray area as they determine if they will tailor a mask mandate focused on the specific needs of certain students or to simply not require any masking. 

 

What can parents do?

Parents are now back in control of deciding if their child wears a mask or not.  At least for now.  If the school chooses to enact a new mask mandate until the parameters of this decision, parents have the right to fill out an exemption form to excuse their child from any mandate. 

 

House Republicans are carefully watching this lawsuit to determine what steps should be taken to ensure parents remain in charge of their children’s health care decisions

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Governor’s Biofuels Access Bill Advances

 

This week the House Ways and Means Committee passed House Study Bill 594. The bill is the governor’s renewable fuel access bill. The bill requires dealers with compatible infrastructure to offer E-15. It also provides for waivers from the access standard in certain situations. The bill makes changes to retailer fuel tax credits as well as fuel production tax credits. Finally, the bill makes changes to the renewable fuel infrastructure program.

 

House Study Bill 594 establishes that a new retail dealer must offer E-15 for sale from one qualified pump, if there is only one qualified pump, or at least 50 percent of all qualified pumps, if there is more than one. This requirement applies to new retailers as of January 1, 2023. For existing retailers, the legislation requires retailers to offer E-15 for sale from one qualified pump by January 1, 2026. However, if a retailer would ever install new tanks, they would be required to comply with the 50 percent of all qualified pumps rule.

 

House Study Bill 594 also establishes a waiver application that retailers may utilize. A class 1 waiver would be granted to a retailer based on the age of their fuel tanks. A class 2 waiver would be granted to a retailer based upon their cost to comply with the access standard. 

 

The legislation also made changes to various fuel related tax credits. The bill would repeal the E-15 tax credit at the end of 2025 (right before the access standard is implemented (one-year extension) and increases it from 3 cents to 9 cents. The bill also extends the E-85 production tax credit by four years.  The biodiesel tax credits are tweaked and extended by three years. 

 

Lastly, the bill sets forth new requirements for the renewable fuel infrastructure program (RFIP). This program requires that all funded ethanol infrastructure be E-85 compatible. Additionally, all funded biodiesel infrastructure must be B-20 compatible. 

 

The bill prioritizes funding infrastructure to upgrade existing locations and non-exempt retail locations and requires an awardee offer E-15 for five years. Additionally, it limits RFIP monies that can be spent on biodiesel retail infrastructure to $1.25 million annually and then requires those retailers to sell B-11 or higher during April 1 through October 31 in funded infrastructure.